UNESCO World Book Capital 2024
Link to website, English/
Link to website, French/
UNESCO names Strasbourg as World Book Capital for 2024
Generative AI in literary translation – watch the video
“The International Federation of Translators FIT and The Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee/TLRC of PEN International both have Cooperation Agreements with CEATL. In October 2024, CEATL will be the main organizer of the European Conference on Literary Translation in Strasbourg. I have been invited to join the Steering Committee representing the TLRC/PEN International.
“At the CEATL Annual General Meeting in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in May, delegates listened to a panel discussion about AI in general, and more specifically generative AI. CEATL was represented by Cécile Deniard from the French Association of Literary Translators (ATLF). Researchers Simon Krek and Spela Vintar and Legal Expert Gregor Strojin made up the rest of the panel”. “Pleasewatch this enlightening and somewhat frightening video from the discussion!”
https://www.ceatl.eu/ceatl-researchers-and-legal-expert-in-panel-on-ai
Som en del af ""Strasbourg, UNESCO World Book Capital 2024" arrangerer CEATL (European Council of Literary Translators' Associations) en europæisk konference om litterær oversættelse.
Konferencen, planlagt over tre dage i oktober 2024, vil samle alle aktører, der er involverede i litterær oversættelse, for at diskutere udfordringer med at udbrede litterære værker i Europa: oversættere, forfattere, forlag, boghandlere, bibliotekarer, uddannelsesinstitutioner, forfatterskoler, festivaler og udstillinger.
Europa-Parlamentet har tilkendegivet interesse i at være vært for arrangementet den 2.-4. oktober 2024.
Undertegnede er medlem af konferencens styregruppe som repræsentant for TLRC, the Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee i PEN International, og desuden bestyrelsesmedlem i Dansk PEN. Du er velkommen til at kontakte mig med spørgsmål og kommentarer.
European Conference on Literary Translation in Strasbourg – 2-4 October 2024
As part of "Strasbourg, UNESCO World Book Capital 2024", CEATL (European Council of Literary Translators' Associations) is organizing a European Conference on Literary Translation.
This three-day event, to
be held on 2-4 October 2024, will bring together all parties involved in
literary translation to discuss
the challenges of circulating works in Europe: translators, writers,
publishers, booksellers, librarians, training establishments, residencies, book
festivals and fairs, and all the organizations (book centres, funds, cultural
institutes and others) that support literary translation.
The Strasbourg Conference will provide an unprecedented opportunity for all stakeholders to gain a better knowledge of the literary translation landscape in Europe, to discuss points of view and best practices, and to examine ways of improving the dissemination of translated works in Europe, to which the networking of actors can only contribute.
The Conference will also be an opportunity to highlight the importance of supporting literary translation to national and European public authorities, and to raise awareness among the general public through events and activities.
The origin of the project: the European report Translators on the cover - multilingualism and translation (2022)
As part of its work plan for Culture 2019-2022, the Council of the European Union mandated a group of experts from 26 Member States to assess the current support mechanisms for translation, identify best practices and propose measures to improve the circulation of literary works in Europe.
Published under the title Translators on the cover - multilingualism and translation, the report of the group of experts chaired by Xavier North presents a very rich picture of the situation, together with a series of concrete recommendations.
The first part deals with the initial training of literary translators (and more broadly with ways of raising awareness of the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity among the populations of the Member States), their continuing training (via educational institutions or residencies) and the precariousness of their working conditions, which can constitute a threat to the quality of translations and to the sustainability of the sector.
The second part focuses on the dissemination of translated works in Europe and how public funding can best contribute to it, not only by supporting their publication, promotion and marketing by publishers, but also by fostering the networking of actors, the transfer of rights between European publishers, and regional and European cooperation networks. In view of the glaring lack of linguistic and cultural diversity on the European literary scene (national markets are dominated by national literature and translated Anglo-American books), the report argues that increased national and European funding should help publishers to take on the risk of publishing European works in translation, and that export strategies for national literature should be combined with import strategies to facilitate in-translations.
The report also contains substantial appendices, including a country-by-country list of initial and continuing training courses; prizes and other forms of recognition for translation; support mechanisms; translators' associations and directories; and regional and European cooperation networks. It is therefore a precious and unprecedented source of information.
Published in January 2022, the report was presented during a round table on 24 February 2022 as part of a one-day conference on the challenges facing the book industry and reading in Europe organised by the French Ministry of Culture to mark the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union (see the programme and the video).
Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, both the work of the group of experts and this round-table presentation had to take place at a distance, via screens, and therefore not in the best conditions for each of the stakeholders (translators, but also writers, publishers, funding bodies, people active in the marketing and promotion of works, etc.) to be able to engage fully and make the best of the report.
Hence CEATL’s idea to seize this opportunity to invite all those involved in literary translation, who have too few opportunities to meet and exchange ideas and information at a European level, to meet physically to become more familiar with the content of the report, debate it, examine the means of implementing all or part of its recommendations, and more generally to share good practices and strengthen existing networks.
Such a conference, aimed at mobilizing all stakeholders around the challenges of literary translation in Europe, is unprecedented. A professional conference discussing issues of mutual interest.
It is planned to hold these meetings over three days, in the form of plenary sessions (presentations, roundtables) and workshops that could follow up on the themes covered in the Translators on the Cover report:
· overview of the literary
translation ecosystem
· the training and status of
literary translators
· national, regional and
European policies to support literary translation
· the visibility of literary
translation and the promotion of European literature
· …
The Conference could also be an opportunity to present studies extending some of the avenues opened by the report in terms of statistics and the economics of translation. For example, the report contains a brief table of translation markets country by country (languages translated, percentage of books translated within the total number of books published, importance of the translation sector in relation to the publishing industry's turnover), but these data are incomplete and not very robust, as the authors themselves admit, and they call for this aspect to be developed further.
Statistics are an important tool for designing and evaluating book policies, but while the film and audiovisual sector has the European Audiovisual Observatory, there is no such system for the book sector. It would be in the interest of all stakeholders to have a more complete picture through a complementary one-off study, or even to campaign for the establishment of a solid system of data collection on the distribution of books in Europe.
In addition, certain issues, such as the potential use of "artificial intelligence" in the publishing industry, or the fight for freedom of expression, have become even more acute than when the report was published, and will need to find their place in the program.
A political and public
event to highlight the value of literary translation
In addition to the professional aspects that have just been developed, the Strasbourg Conference will also be an opportunity to highlight literary translation in the eyes of public authorities and the general public.
The recommendations in the Translators on the Cover report are for the most part aimed at policymakers at local, regional, national and EU levels, as well as public funding agencies supporting literary translation across Europe. This political dimension will therefore be present in the programming and invitations.
The event will also include literary events for the participants as well as for the population of Strasbourg and beyond via online broadcasting: personal testimonies of translators, writers and publishers; dialogues around a piece of work; translation slams; polyphonic readings; translation workshops, etc. There are countless possibilities for bringing the beauty and importance of translation to life.
One could also imagine calling on a great witness, such as the Polish writer Olga Tokarczuk. A Nobel Prize winner in 2018, she is very committed to the cause of translation (her works have been translated into 35 languages) and she was one of the first signatories of the petition launched in 2021 by the British Society of Authors to ensure that the work of literary translators is better recognised (#TranslatorsOnTheCover – sign the open letter - The Society of Authors), but many other writers have called for better recognition of translation and translators.
Multilingualism and cultural diversity being at the heart of European identity, it is important to make the case, in a positive and inspiring way, that literary translation, far from being a burden or a second best, is a talent and an art that touches the very heart of the European project as it allows us to build our sense of community.
Strasbourg World Book Capital for 2024
Strasbourg, a landmark city in the history of European integration, the seat of the European Parliament and a crossroads of languages and cultures, is an obvious choice as a place to hold this event, and the idea was very well received by the city, which included it among the events associated with the “World Book Capital for 2024” label.
As a major centre of cultural diplomacy, the city has been designated World Book Capital for 2024 by UNESCO, and some of the priorities the city intends to put forward on that occasion will be particularly relevant to the European Conference on Literary Translation:
* the development of books and reading through a strong support for professionals and the economic sector;
* the enhancement of multilingualism (through the "echo of languages" programme) and the promotion of interculturality;
* the emphasis on social debate, the circulation of ideas and freedom of expression, of which translation is clearly an essential tool.
The event, taking place on 2-4 October 2024, will coincide with the European Day of Languages (September 26), the International Translation Day (September 30, feast of St. Jerome) and the local “D'une Langue vers l'Autre” festival, which brings together local translation players and organizes events in and around Strasbourg featuring translators and interpreters (workshops, translation jousts, meetings, readings and artistic performances). Working in partnership with this festival will create mutually beneficial synergies.
A strong network of professional partners
CEATL brings together 32 associations representing literary translators from 26 European countries (see list in annex) and those associations are themselves well established in the literary and institutional landscapes of their respective countries. As a result, they are in contact with (among others) all the organisations supporting literary translation that belong to the networks listed below.
At the European level, CEATL itself is a recognised interlocutor for the public authorities (in particular for the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Unit, managing the Creative Europe program), on all matters related to literary translation.
The Strasbourg Conference is a opportunity to mobilize all stakeholders and CEATL also intends to work in partnership with a large range of networks representing the literary translation actors in Europe, inviting them to take part in the event's programming and communication as part of a steering committee.
As regards initial education and life-long training, CEATL is a member of the European network Petra-E, which brings together educational institutions that train literary translators. It is also very close to RECIT (European network of international literary translation centres), whose 16 members offer residencies and training opportunities.
In order to improve the visibility of translators and translation, CEATL also works to establish partnerships with festivals and other literary events of European scope. For example, in March 2022 it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Bologna Children's Book Fair, which is itself a member of the recent ALDUS network (network of European book fairs).
As far as other networks are concerned, CEATL is on excellent terms with the European Writers Council (EWC), PEN International, FIT-Europe (Fédération international des traducteurs), as well as with the European Federation of Publishers (FEE-FEP), which has already confirmed its interest in such a European event.
The European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) and the European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations (EBLIDA) will of course also be approached, as well as the main cooperation networks presented below and the EUNIC network of cultural institutes – with a view of rallying the energies of the entire book chain around the general interest objective of a better circulation of literary works in Europe.
Besides RECIT (reseau européen des centres internationaux de traducteurs littéraires), the leading networks that engage in regional, multi-country cooperation are Traduki (German-speaking countries and 10 South-East European countries), the Baltic Culture Fund (Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia), NordLit (Nordic countries), and ENLIT.
ENLIT, or the European Network for Literary Translation, is a collaboration of cultural organisations and translation funding bodies founded in 2016. It consists of 22 organisations from 19 countries and regions: Bulgarian National Book Centre (Bulgaria), Instituto Ramon Llull (Catalonia and the Balearic Islands), Estonian Literature Centre (Estonia), FILI (Finland), Flemish Literature Fund (Flanders), Institut Français + Centre National du Livre (France), Frankfurt Book Fair + Goethe Institut (Germany), Hungarian Books and Translation Office (Hungary), Literature Ireland (Ireland), Latvian Authors Association (Latvia), Dutch Foundation for Literature (Netherlands), NORLA (Norway), Etxepare Basque Institute (Spain), Swedish Arts Council (Sweden), Pro Helvetia (Switzerland), Literature across frontiers (United Kingdom), Wales Literature Exchange (Wales), and Service general des Lettres et du Livre + Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (Wallonie-Bruxelles).
RECIT’s members are: Vertalershuis Antwerpen /
Translators' House Antwerp (Belgium); Sofia Literature & Translation House
/ Next Page Foundation (Bulgary); Croatian Association of Literary Translators
(Croatia); Czech Literary Centre (Czech Republic); Collège International des
Traducteurs Littéraires – CITL (France); Literarisches Colloquium Berlin – LCB
(Germany), Europäisches Übersetzer-Kollegium Nordrhein-Westfalen in Straelen
e.V. / European Translators' College (Germany); Magyar Fordítóház
Alapítvány / Hungarian Translators House Foundation (Hungary); Trinity Centre
for Literary and Cultural Translation – Dublin (Ireland); Casa delle Traduzioni (Italy); Ventspils House (Latvia); Translators House Amsterdam (Netherlands); Baltic
Centre for Writers and Translators (Sweden); Übersetzerhaus
Looren /Collège de traducteurs Looren /Translation House Looren
(Switerland); Writers' Centre Norwich (United Kingdom); British Centre for
Literary Translation (United Kingdom).
CEATL, European Council of Literary Translators' Association
Who we are
CEATL, the European Council of Literary Translators' Associations, is an international non-profit association under Belgian law and is based at the Maison des Auteurs in Brussels.
CEATL was officially set up in 1993 by ten members as a platform where literary translators' associations from different European countries could exchange views and information, and join forces to improve the status and working conditions of literary translators. It now brings together 32 associations from 26 European countries, representing some 10,000 literary translators, and has invited a group of Ukrainian translators (Translators in Action) to participate in the work.
Our activities
CEATL has two core objectives:
Defending the interests of literary translators
We defend the legal, social and economic
interests of literary translators in a European context, which includes EU
lobbying and reacting publicly to trends or events impacting on our profession
and on the quality of literary translation. We help individual member
associations to strengthen the position of literary translators in their
countries.
Promoting literary translation
We promotes greater visibility for translation and translators among a wider public and professionals in the book trade.
The representatives of member associations participate throughout the year in working groups on working conditions, author’s rights, training, best practices, and the visibility of translators and literary translation. A new working group has recently been created on IA.
CEATL publishes a bilingual, biannual e-zine (Contrepoint/Counterpoint) and has recently published two landmark surveys on literary translators' income and legal situationcontractual conditions across Europe.
A new working group
has also been created on IA.
Our team
The new board elected in May 2023 is composed as follows:
·
Francesca Novajra, president (AITI, Italia)
·
Valérie Le Plouhinec, general
secretary (ATLF, France)
·
Miquel Cabal Guarro, treasurer (AELC, Catalonia)
·
Teodora
Tzankova, secretary (BTU, Bulgaria)
·
Justyna
Czechowska, vice-president (STL,
Poland)
· Iztok Ilc, vice-president (DSKP, Slovenia)
European Conference on Literary Translation in Strasbourg – 2-4 October 2024
Pre-programme (as of 24 October 2023)
Venues : to be defined for the opening night (theatre, Council of Europe, ENA, University… ?)
Agreement in principle by the European Parliament to host the plenary sessions and workshops (3-4 October) ; official request underway.
Opening night (2 October): 500 people
Plenary sessions (3 and 4 October): capacity of 350
people
Workshops (3 October): 7 rooms for 30 to 50 people
+ space for reception, coffee breaks and buffet lunch (3 and 4 October)
WEDNESDAY 2 OCTOBER
19.00-20.30: welcome cocktail (participants and partners)
20.30-21.00: opening of the conference (CEATL and partners)
21.00-22.30: literary evening (a prominent European writer and his or her translators, polyphonic readings).
THURSDAY 3 OCTOBER
9.00-9.30: welcome, coffee-croissant
9.30-10.30: Mapping the literary translation ecosystem in Europe, who does what - multi-voice presentation
Speakers: authors of the European report Translators on the cover, RECIT…
10.30-11.45: Panel 1 - promoting literary translation and the circulation of works in Europe: best practices
Speakers: networks of organizations supporting literary translation: (ENLIT, Traduki, RECIT...), translators, publishers
11.45-13.00: Panel 2 - Literary translation and "artificial intelligence": where do we stand? principles and reality
Speakers : educational institutions, writers, translators, publishers.
13.00-14.00: buffet lunch
14.00-16.00: workshops on the recommendations of the
Translators on the Cover report:
·
initial and continuing
training for literary translators
·
inclusion and diversity
in literary translation
·
promoting support for
inbound translation
·
translating minority and
regional languages
· reinforcing networks (libraries, festivals….) …
16.00-16.15: coffee break
16.30-18.00 : Panel 3 - literary translation and translated works in the spotlight: how to make them more visible and arouse reader interest ?
Speakers: publishers,, bookshops,, libraries, book fairs, cultural institutes...
Evening: literary events in town (translation
battles, writer-publisher-translator discussion, translation workshops, etc.)
organized by our Strasbourg partner, D'une Langue vers l'Autre festival.
FRIDAY 4 OCTOBER
9.00-9.30: welcome, coffee-croissant
9.30-11.00: Panel 4 - the market and economic challenges of literary translation in Europe: what data, what economic model(s), what needs for support?
Speakers: follow-up studies up on the Translators on
the Cover report : writers, translators, publishers, ALDUS, ENLIT…
11.00-11.15: coffee break
11.15-11.45: Creative Europe program and support for literary translation - presentation by Creative Europe, Q & A
11.45-12.00: « Translating the world » - carte blanche to FIT (International Federation of Translators)
12.45-14.00: buffet lunch
14.00-15.00: presentation of workshop results
15.00-16.30: Panel 5 - Literary translation as a tool to build a European consciousness and defend freedom of expression
Speakers : translators, writers, publishers, foundations...
16.30-17.00: closing of the conference
(17.15-18.00 : visit of the Parlement)
(SATURDAY 5 OCTOBER
Morning : visits of the city of Strasbourg proposed to participants - guided tour on foot, cruise on the canal, tasting tour…)
|
Country |
CEATL member |
Website |
|
Austria |
IGÜ - Austrian Association of Literary and
Scientific Translators |
http://www.literaturhaus.at/index.php?id=6540 |
|
Bulgaria |
BTU – Съюз на преводачите в България
(Bulgarian Translators' Union) |
http://bgtranslators.org |
|
Croatia |
DHKP - Društvo hrvatskih književnih
prevodilaca |
http://www.dhkp.hr/ |
|
Czech
Republic |
OP - Obec překladatelů |
http://www.obecprekladatelu.cz |
|
Denmark |
DOF - Dansk Oversætterforbund |
http://www.danskforfatterforening.dk/dof |
|
Espagne
(Catalonia) |
AELC - Associació d'Escriptors en Llengua
Catalana |
http://www.escriptors.cat/ |
|
Finland |
KAOS - Kääntäjien ammattiosasto (Literary
Translators' Branch of the Union of Journalists in Finland) |
http://kaos.fi |
|
Finland |
SKTL - Suomen Kääntäjien ja Tulkkien Liitto |
http://www.sktl.fi |
|
France |
ATLF - Association des traducteurs
littéraires de France |
http://www.atlf.org |
|
Germany |
VdÜ/BUNDESSPARTE ÜBERSETZER im VS (Verband
deutscher Schriftsteller) in Ver.di |
http://www.literaturuebersetzer.de |
|
Hungary |
MEGY - Magyar Műfordítók Egyesülete |
http://muforditok.hu/ |
|
Iceland |
RSÍ - Rithöfundasamband Íslands (The
Writers’ Union of Iceland) |
http://www.rsi.is/ |
|
Iceland |
THOT - Bandalag þýðenda og túlka (The
Icelandic Association of Translators and Interpreters) |
http://www.thot.is |
|
Ireland |
ITIA - Irish Translators' and Interpreters'
Association - Cumann Aistritheoirí agus Ateangairí na hÉireann |
http://www.translatorsassociation.ie/ |
|
Italia |
AITI - Associazione Italiana Traduttori e
Interpreti |
http://www.aiti.org |
|
Italia |
STRADE SLC, Sezione Traduttori Editoriali
SLC CGIL |
http://www.traduttoristrade.it/ |
|
Lithuania |
LLVS - Lietuvos literatūros vertėjų sąjunga
- Lithuanian Association of Literary Translators |
http://www.llvs.lt |
|
Macedonia |
MATA - Macedonian Association of
Translators and Interpreters |
http://www.mata.mk |
|
Netherlands |
Auteursbond |
https://auteursbond.nl/ |
|
Norway |
NFFO - Norsk faglitterær forfatter- og
oversetterforening (The Norwegian Non-fiction Writers and Translators
Association) |
http://www.nffo.no |
|
Norway |
NO - Norsk Oversetterforening |
http://oversetterforeningen.no |
|
Poland |
STL - Stowarzyszenie Tłumaczy Literatury |
|
|
Portugal |
APT- Associação Portuguesa de Tradutores |
http://www.apt.pt |
|
Roumania |
ARTLIT – Asociația Română a Traducătorilor
Literari |
http://www.artlit.ro |
|
Serbia |
UKPS - Udruženje književnih prevodilaca
Srbije |
http://www.ukps.rs%20 |
|
Slovenia |
DSKP - Društvo slovenskih književnih
prevajalcev |
http://www.dskp-drustvo.si/ |
|
Spain |
ACE Traductores - Sección Autónoma de
Traductores de Libros de la Asociación Colegial de Escritores |
http://www.ace-traductores.org/ |
|
Spain
(Basque Country) |
EIZIE - Euskal Itzultzaile, Zuzentzaile eta
Interpreteen elkartea |
http://www.eizie.org |
|
Spain
(Catalonia) |
ACEC - Associació collegial d’escriptors de
Catalunya |
http://www.acec-web.org |
|
Sweden |
ÖSF - Översättarsektionen i Sveriges
Författarförbund |
http://oversattarsektionen.se/ |
|
Switzerland |
A*dS - Autorinnen und Autoren der Schweiz *
Autrices et auteurs de Suisse * Autrice e Autori della Svizzera |
https://www.a-d-s.ch |
|
Ukraine |
TIA - Translators in Action |
https://litcentr.in.ua/index/0-51 |
|
United
Kingdom |
TA - Translators Association |
http://www.societyofauthors.org/translators-association |
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